Washington (CNN) — As the rebels in Libya push closer to ending the regime of embattled Col. Moammar Gadhafi, U.S. warplanes have been increasing their attacks on government positions as part of the NATO campaign.
New numbers released by the Pentagon on Monday show that the number of U.S. air attacks on Libyan air defenses, ground forces and other targets has nearly doubled over the past 12 days, compared with air attacks in the first 132 days of the NATO mission.
There was an average of 1.7 strike sorties a day from April 1 to August 10, compared with 3.1 strike sorties in the past 12 days.
The Pentagon release indicates that attacks by armed Predator unmanned planes have more than doubled to 1.4 attacks a day, compared with .6 attacks a day between April 1 and August 10.
The cost to the U.S. taxpayers for America’s share of the Libyan mission, known as Operation Unified Protector, is approaching $1 billion.
As of July 31, the Pentagon had spent about $896 million. The U.S. had also sold its allies and partners in Operation Unified Protectors more than $220 million worth of ammunition, spare parts and fuel.
The Pentagon was also authorized to deliver up to $25 million worth of nonlethal aid to Libyan civilians. So far, it has used about $12.5 million of that authority by shipping Meals-Ready-To-Eat, boots, tents, uniforms and protective gear. The Defense Department was able to tap its own stockpiles for this aid.
Since June, the Pentagon has not received any more requests for additional nonlethal aid to be sent to Libyan rebels or civilians.
US seeks to boost aid to Libya rebel council
The United States and its global partners are trying to accelerate releasing frozen Libyan assets to help rebels meet Libya’s security and humanitarian needs, a top US official said Monday.
As Moamer Kadhafi’s regime collapsed, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed the urgency of funding the rebels in a conference call with her partners in the Contact Group on Libya, her spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
The talks involved Clinton and the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Turkey, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Denmark and the United Arab Emirates as well as the prime minister of Qatar and a British Foreign Office minister.
“We are trying to accelerate our ability to get some essential funding to the (NTC), particularly for humanitarian needs, particularly for maintenance of essential services,” including security, Nuland told reporters.
The NTC is the rebel National Transition Council, (NTC) which the United States and other powers in the Contact Group last month recognized as the legitimate interim governing authority in Libya.
A US Treasury official said on the condition of anonymity that legal obstacles remain to the release of the assets, even though recognition of the NTC paved the way for the release of the funds.
After Kadhafi launched a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in February, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution freezing the regime’s assets abroad.
Nuland said there are discussions about the funds at the United Nations, which has procedures governing any release of assets frozen under sanctions imposed on Libya.
Nuland said the administration is also looking at how it might on its own release an estimated 30 billion dollars in assets frozen in the United States, although she added only a small portion — perhaps 10 percent — is in cash.
“I think our preference is to do it through the UN channel, but if that cannot be done expediently, then we will continue to go on and see what we can do unilaterally,” she said.
But she said: “We want to start with getting the money that the (NTC) needs to maintain a strong and stable government, to provide for the humanitarian and security needs of its people.”
World Bank ready to help Libya
The World Bank said Monday it has been monitoring Libya’s economic situation and would be guided by member countries on resuming its activities with the country.
“Guided by our shareholders, the Bank will reengage with Libya just as soon as we can be helpful in the country’s recovery,” the 187-nation development lender said in an emailed statement.
“For the duration of the conflict to the extent possible we have monitored Libya’s economic situation in coordination with the UN but we have had no staff in Tripoli since earlier on in the year,” it said.
The World Bank comments came as world leaders hailed the rebel takeover of Tripoli, urging Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi to admit defeat.
The rebels’ dramatic push to wrest full control of the Libyan capital from Kadhafi loyalists was seen as the end-game in the six-month uprising against his 42-year rule
